Passing Ships
by wanderingsouls
Summary: A home for my prompts or fictlets that I stumble across through my writing lifestyle. Most of these will be one shots and or just first chapters to stories I might make into a series. Feel free to leave a response for any!
1. A Dance For Two

Killian – _Italicized_

Emma – Regular

_A Dance Just For Two_

_How many dances one woman could have in one night without sitting, I never knew. It seemed like every time a dance was over and as soon as the prince's lips touched her knuckles another took his place within the same breath. None of them gave her a second look when they approached her, none of them took a moment to step back and admire her everlasting beauty. _

_None of them even took a breath to just marvel of how a woman like that could be so beautiful and yet have the fire of a warrior. None of them cherished her like I did, only from afar because that's where I could find my peace and find myself taking the time to daydream where I was the actual one to sweep her off her feet. Unfortunately, I was left to just stay put where I was and watch her longingly._

_Only if she knew_

Emma had been dancing with prince after prince since the music had struck up a cord. It seemed that her poor hand hadn't had a moment to actually hover in the air without someone else grasping it and ripping her right back into a dancing position.

She could feel her own parent's eyes on her, watching her, waiting for her to fall helpless in love with at least one out of the twenty she's danced with tonight. But the more that men tried to win her over with their gold, their livelihood and their massive amount of whatever boasting material they had on handy. Those things were all so trivial to her, unimportant to her and all she wanted was for someone to actually strike up a decent conversation with her.

She was tired of dancing around at the same tune, dancing around with what seemed like the same man but with different faces. She was exhausted trying to figure out which one seemed less boring, she hoped one of them actually asked her on her own opinions on what she liked to do in her own time. None of these men were like _him_. As she swung around she looked over to see him staring directly at her, like usual she met his crystal gaze.

She tried to ignore her heart ramming itself against her ribcage and ignore the feeling that whenever he looked her way she felt like she could hover off the ground. No one understood this feeling she had, she wasn't even sure he did. It made her sick to her stomach not being able to read someone, not being able to know what their exact thought was on this very moment.

She wanted nothing more than to break away from this prince, this boring man and reach out to him. Grasp his hand and lead her onto the floor. Whisking her away with his charming smile and his kind words that were always inquisitive of whatever she spoke. Whether it was the most boring subjects of all, it seemed that he hung on her every word.

She just wanted him to be the only one she'd dance with tonight.

She found her mind swinging more faster than her own feet at this point, she could feel herself being pulled over at all the dancing and the listening. She couldn't deal with another moment of this damned matching making scheme disguised as a grand ball.

Right on cue the music and stopped and Emma took off before another man could pop out of Gods know where and drag her back onto the ballroom floor. She dove right out the doors and past the maid's stations where they worriedly called out for her. She ignored it, she needed to breath she needed to find solace in figuring out her feelings by herself. She just needed a moment without another damned prince bragging about the pointless things he's done in his life.

Before she knew it she was on the outskirts of the castle right in the woods. She stood for a couple of moments letting her breath catch up with her. Irritated with the fact that her pins dug into her skull, she ripped each one out and threw them out letting each curl fall out. She took another deep breath, letting her body settle to the quiet atmosphere but before she could do so she heard a twig snap.

_I watched her eyes scan the room and meet with mine. My heart leapt into my throat as I could only hold the gaze for a couple seconds longer before she was swung back around as another prince tried to impress her once again. _

_I could only see parts of her face wither from bored to almost panicky. It wasn't until that the song had finally ended that she ran out, I was right on her heels in a moment. I let her take her space ahead of me, the last thing I wanted was to scare her off any further out of the castle. _

_When she stopped in the woods taking in the scenery, I watched her from afar. Had one of those prince's said something to upset her? Had they been so foolish to upset someone like her? Questions flickered through my mind as I watched her rip out her pins that held her golden hair. _

_Why I was entrusted to watch a woman like her and not fall in love was something I also didn't understand. I was a man whose heart belonged to someone who would never even look my way. I was only just a knight and she was a future queen to be. How could she fall for someone like me? How could a woman of her status remotely look in my direction? _

_I had to make sure she was all right, I couldn't just let her run out with that look on her face. I needed to just ask her before she could shoo me off. I just needed to make sure. _

She spun on her heel seeing that her body guard, Killian, was standing awkwardly behind her. He stood up straighter once she turned to him. Emma felt her cheeks go hot, had he followed her all the way out here? Was he that concerned about her own well being? It seemed that no other man was concerned about her.

Just him, it would seem.

She then immediately thought that her parents had barked at him to go after her and drag her back right into the castle.

"Did my parents send you to drag me back there?" She asked nervously, she needed to stop playing with her fingers when she was nervous. It was becoming a thing she did whenever she was around Killian, something to keep her mind of stuttering around him.

"No, they didn't," he said firmly.

"Did…did you come here all the way to check on me on your own volition."

"Yes, Your Royal Highness but if you would like me to take my leave I-"

"No!" She said quickly, nearly shouting making Killian stop from turning away from her.

She didn't know what she was doing, she didn't know how words were actually tumbling out of her mouth but she ripped her hands away letting them fall to her side. She wasn't going to bite her tongue any longer around Killian, if there was one thing about her that wasn't ladylike at all, it was her need to be blunt about everything.

"Well, are you all right-"

"I had to dance with nearly fifteen men tonight, and do you know what I thought that entire night?"

"I'm afraid I don't-"

"I thought—no—_wished_ it was you that I spent fifteen dances with."

She had rendered her bodyguard speechless, maybe it from her cutting him off every time he put in a word but she couldn't help it. It felt like every word that came tumbling out of her mouth was all the things she wanted—needed to say to him.

As soon as they came out of her mouth, she felt like half the weight had removed itself off her aching shoulders. Maybe that was the glory of actually telling someone what she was feeling but now she was looking down at the man that she had spent an entire year daydreaming about.

He looked around nervously before he approached her, Emma didn't know if this was either a good or bad sign. She was debating what he would do or what he could say and it was making her heart pound against her chest painfully. She looked up to him when he came up to her, she watched him stick out his hand, his other one already motioning for a dance.

"There's….there isn't any music," she stutters causing Killian to grasp her hand gently, bringing her in close to his chest. Her heart stopped beating while he began to take the lead on the dance.

"We don't need music." He murmurs while gently swinging her around, she found herself instantly melting into the fall of the quietness. It was everything she didn't expect but everything she wanted all at once. She could easily drift away happily right in this small moment.

Slowly, she met his eyes. The look that was written on his face but mostly all the emotion that was in his eyes could nearly turn her into a pile of mush. The way he looked at her in the moment, made her feel like she was the only woman alive or she was a masterpiece that he was taking time to examine. The small crooked smile on his face made her heart swell tightly into chest.

"My feelings…toward you…are unbidden and unchanging." He whispered, Emma smiled up at him feeling a wave of relief crash down on her.

Maybe this was the feeling that her parents always spoke of. Maybe this was the feeling that her parents always had written on their faces when they looked at one another. But somehow this feeling was indescribable and unexplainable. Only the feeling that she could describe in this moment while she slowly danced to utter silence, was the feeling of contentment.

A cute little one shot for the amazing Sarah!

Seriously check out her tumblr, _onceuponamirror_. She's pretty freaking rad.


	2. Bets

_Bullocks_

She thought when he laid down the winning cards. It had been a sudden death match and she didn't even realize that with this infamous pirate and his damned deck of cards that she was facing down toward the bet. His men cheered around him while Captain Hook drew up his legs onto the table, giving her a smug look.

She should have known better to sit down and compete against him; she should have known even better that he was a pirate after all. She was faced with a completely hard deal with her men standing behind her. She wasn't going to give up all the credit she had spent so many years bringing up.

Emma Swan was a damned good pirate and just as damned good as a captain. She and Captain Hook despised each other since one another stole their ships or their treasure. Each time one of them ran into town they always made a game with cards while trying to see who wore the bigger pants around the seven seas.

They usually got rewards for whoever won the match, last time Emma won she got half of Hook's treasure from his last haul. She was good with her hand at playing cards but it seemed that Hook had bested her on this round. When they met tonight they didn't even discuss what kind of reward would be in store if one of them had one and she was beginning to fear what he'd chose.

"You can't have my ship," she said angrily slamming her hands onto the table giving him a stern glare. His eyes met hers while his tongue flicked across his lower lip, the look nearly made a shiver run down her spine.

Hook slid his feet off the table, rising slowly so he could lean closely enough to meet her eye to eye. She was stubborn and he'd give her that. He pursed his lips thinking on what possibly he could take that would make her come after him once again for another round. The idea blossomed into his mind and before he knew it he was already smirking at her.

"My dearest friend, why would I want to destroy my only competition?"

Emma narrowed her eyes, not easily falling for whatever he had up his sleeves. "What the bloody hell do you want now then?" She said leaning away from him to cross her arms. Hook grinned; he strode up to her slowly and touched a stray curl of hers before leaning closely once more.

"It's been a while since I had a pretty woman give me a kiss," he smirked tapping his lips with a ringed ringer, he saw her cheeks redden while everyone let out hoots with laughter. He could tell that she wasn't willing to back down in front of him.

It was always a game to see who would crumble first and it seemed that he had met his match when it came to Emma Swan. She was ruthless and her horse was higher than any other man on the seas. He watched her eyes flick to her crew and then back to him. He could see her own smirk as she touched the lapels of his jacket, her hand tracing down to tug gently on the necklace around his neck.

She leaned in close, their lips barely touching while her giant green eyes stared into his with such evil innocence. "Trust me, you wouldn't handle it." She murmured as another wave of hoots erupted around them. He smiled down at her; he wasn't going to leave this pub without that kiss that he had fought hard for.

"Why don't you try me, unless you'd rather I have my men take seventy five percent of that last haul you have on your ship."

"You wouldn't dare," she hissed her eyes now full of anger. He knew exactly where to push her buttons and that were her precious treasures. He'd never met a woman so greedy in his life and that's what he liked most about her. It was his turn to switch the tables back on her.

"Take your pick. Time's ticking, tick tock," He grinned before tapping his lips once more; he could see her inner struggle. Either lose all of her profits to him or let her succumb to his charms either way, he was still a winner. He watched her take off her tricorn, tossing it onto the table before she grasped onto his lapels and crashed her lips onto his.

It was so quick that he didn't even have enough time to process that she had kissed him. It didn't take him long to kiss her back with just as much force. Emma deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue across his lips tasting the rum. He smelled of the sea which instantly made her heart twist in her chest.

Hook's hand snaked behind her head, cradling it while he tilted his head to get a better angle as his tongue met hers. Her body melted against his chest deliciously while he tried his best to control himself, remembering that they were inside a bar full of men.

Emma's mind was reeling with a drunken haze. She knew that she could have broken the kiss a while ago but she was testing him now. She wanted to see that he was definitely going to be the one that won't handle it. She quietly whimpered into his mouth, nearly sending him over the edge when she finally ripped herself away from him.

She watched Hook slowly collect himself as she picked her tricorne off the table. Placing it on her head she tipped it toward Hook who looked like he had finally kissed a siren of the sea. For all that matters she was a damn siren of the sea. She gave a smirk before turning to walk out of the pub.

"I trust that I'll be seeing you next time, Swan." She heard him call out; she paused only for a moment a smile on her face.

"Next time we play Hook, whoever wins won't have clothes on." She turned slowly to see his eyebrow shoot up in surprise with a smile on his face. With that, she strode out of the door feeling like the real winner that night.


End file.
